This invention relates generally to educational tools. The invention specifically relates to educational tools that also function as toys. The invention also generally relates to puzzles.
Puzzles have been used to challenge the intellect for many centuries. As our awareness of the world surrounding us has grown over the decades, so too has the sophistication of the puzzles that challenge our intellect. There are many puzzles that have been patented by inventors. Indeed, many puzzles have been used both as building blocks but also as educational tools for young persons. Such puzzles are shown in patents, but also in the general public""s consciousness. A few examples are the puzzles known as the Rubik""s Cube(copyright) or the Lego(copyright) building system. Each of these puzzles has challenged the intellect as well as taught the user about physical qualities of the puzzle and the world surrounding the user.
The subject invention elevates the art of puzzles to a different level with its ability to challenge a person""s intellect in achieving various spatial solutions. The subject invention also assists persons in understanding of the relationships between zero, one, two, three, and four-dimensional space. The subject invention is useful not only as an educational tool for young persons, but for adults as well.
This invention describes a puzzle comprising at least eight fundamental units. Each fundamental unit has the fundamental shape of a cube with six faces. Each of the faces has two raised quadrants on diagonally opposite quadrants and two flat quadrants on the other diagonally opposite quadrants. Each raised quadrant houses a bonding element. Each flat quadrant houses a bonding element that will mate with and interlock with the bonding element of the raised quadrants such that the bonding element will hold one fundamental unit to another fundamental unit.
This invention describes a magnetic puzzle comprising at least one fundamental unit. The fundamental unit comprises a cube with six faces, eight corners, and a center. Each of the faces has two raised quadrants on diagonally opposite quadrants and two open quadrants wherein the face of the cube is exposed. The raised and open quadrants are arranged such that that each corner of a first set of diagonally opposite corners are compromised of two raised quadrants and one open quadrant, while each corner of a second set of diagonally opposite corners is comprised of one raised and two open quadrants. Each quadrant houses a recessed magnet having a south and north pole. The magnets in the raised squares are oriented so that the north pole of the magnet is facing in a direction away from the center of the cube. The magnets in the open quadrant are oriented so that the south pole of the magnet is facing in a direction away from the center of the cube.
It is an object of the subject invention to provide a puzzle with non-trivial solutions in, at least, zero, one, two, three and four dimensions.
It is additionally an object of the subject invention to provide an educational tool for users to learn about and visualize the fourth dimension.
It is further an object of the subject invention to provide an educational tool for applications such as envisioning the operation of gears.
It is an additional object of the subject invention to provide an educational tool for applications such as envisioning crystal lattice stacking.
It is an additional object of the subject invention to provide an educational tool for applications such as encoding of data with geometric shape and color.
It is an additional object of the subject invention to provide an educational tool for applications such as envisioning the chemical bonding of molecules.
It is a further object of the subject invention to provide a system with bonding attributes of paired elements that can be used as an educational tool to understand the spatial attributes and information storage capability of other paired elements in nature such as DNA and/or RNA.